AN experienced cop who tasered a driver at point-blank range after he had been pulled over for a random breath test in Fremantle last year has been charged with assault.

The Sunday Times can reveal that the officer at the centre of the high-profile incident, Senior Constable Keenan who has been with the WA Police Force for 25 years, has been charged with two counts of common assault.

This latest development comes after three police internal investigations, conducted before a damning Corruption and Crime Commission report was released in March, found the officer had done nothing wrong. After the CCC was tabled, Sen-Const Keenan was stood aside and police ordered another internal review.

The CCC also released disturbing mobile phone footage of the encounter filmed by a passenger in the car, showing Sen-Const Keenan using a Taser on the driver sitting in his stationary Jeep before ordering him out of the car and arresting him.

The tasered man’s wife can be heard screaming “please stop it”, while the man, now out of his car, tells police “I’m not doing anything wrong” before an officer warns him to “just stop fighting”.

The watchdog found the police investigations — a criminal investigation by the traffic enforcement group, a managerial review and a professional conduct investigation unit review — had been flawed.

It concluded the tasering of the driver, given the assumed name of “Bill Holt”, had been “unreasonable and oppressive” and that an ordinary citizen had been tasered for “no good reason”. “The Commission concludes there was no lawful jurisdiction for Mr Holt to be tasered,” the CCC report stated.

Late this week, a police spokeswoman confirmed to The Sunday Times a 46-year-old senior constable had been charged with two counts of common assault and would appear in Fremantle Magistrate’s Court later this month.

Mr Holt, his wife and friend were in his modified green Jeep on their way to dinner when stopped by traffic police in an RBT operation in March last year.

His car was slapped with a yellow sticker for a cracked windscreen, but after some heckling and back chat at the cops, including the taunt of “you are jealous of my car, you are too poor to afford this car”, Mr Holt was told he was “good to go” and he flashed his lights indicating he was going to drive forward.

The situation quickly escalated after Sen. Const. Keenan claimed he felt threatened when Mr Holt flashed his lights. Mr Holt had recorded a zero blood-alcohol level.

CCC Commissioner John McKechnie said in March that the watchdog’s opinion was that this was “serious misconduct”, and that the use of the Taser had been “completely unnecessary and unjustified”. He added there were “particular dangers in tasering someone who is in a vehicle”.

Conflicting issues in this case include whether the car’s engine was running, whether an officer was at the front of the vehicle and in danger of being struck, and whether Mr Holt had grabbed Sen. Const. Keenan’s hand as he was trying to remove the keys from the ignition.

The case also heightened tensions between the police force and CCC, as well as Attorney-General John Quigley, when police assistant commissioner Nick Anticich said the watchdog and police might have to “agree to disagree on this case”.

He conceded the CCC report was damning and the footage looked “terrible”, but added the video did not capture everything.

In Parliament, Mr Quigley slammed the police response to the CCC probe, suggesting Mr Anticich had embarrassed himself with his comments and should re-watch the footage. He referred the case to the State Solicitor for a legal opinion on whether charges should be laid.

The CCC report stated that another officer involved in the incident, Sen. Const. Arnold, faced disciplinary charges over the incident.

That officer was criticised for trying to prevent the incident from being filmed and trying to charge the passenger with obstructing police.

The WA Police Union has been contacted for comment. Mr Holt declined to comment.